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all bounds and furmounting all obftacles. Every thing 1780. was fo completely fwept away upon its retreat, as not to leave the smallest veftige of man, beast or habitation behind. About 200 perfons of all colours, perifhed by this terrible irruption. The fea flowed up half a mile beyond its ufual fixed limits. This was the prelude to the fucceeding earthquake and hurricane. The damage in the parish of Weftmoreland only, amounted to near 700,000l. fterling. In that of Hanover, one fourth. part of the abfolute property is faid to be loft for ever. The merchants of Kingston generously fent down for the immediate relief of the unhappy fufferers, 10,000l. value in different kinds of provifion, clothing and other articles.

10.

A yet more tremendous hurricane began at Barbadoes Oct. in the morning, and continued with little intermiffion about 48 hours. The fhips were driven from their anchors, and obliged to encounter all the horrors of a most outrageous fea. It prevailed chiefly in the night; and Bridge Town, the capital, was nearly levelled with the earth. The inhabitants who efcaped, anxiously waited the break of day, flattering themselves that with the light they should see a ceffation of the storm. But the strongest colours cannot paint the miseries they were under. The ground was covered with the mangled bodies of their friends and relations. Reputable families wandered through the ruins in fearch of food and fhelter. Mean while there was a continual fcene of rapine and confufion. The negroes, instead of attempting to fave the effects of the unhappy fufferers, were plundering every part of the town. The tempeft was but little abated. The day ferved but to exhibit the most melan

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1780. choly profpect. The devastation on all fides was terrible not a building standing-the trees, if not torn up by the roots, ftripped of their leaves and branches-the moft luxuriant fpring changed in one night to the drearieft winter-the few public buildings, notwithstandtheir strength, fallen in the general wreck. The loss of human lives was great even among the whites; but including the blacks was eftimated at fome thousands. To increase the calamity, most of the living stock on the island, particularly of the horned cattle, perished. An extraordinary inftance of the united force of the winds and waves was apparent upon this occasion in the removal of a cannon, a twelve pounder, from the fouth to the north battery, being a diftance of one hundred and forty yards. The truth of this fact and of the others was fupported by public documents, transmitted to the fecretary of state by the governor of the island, and by gen. Vaughan. Be it mentioned to the honor and praise of Don Pedro St. Jago, a captain of the regiment of Arragon, and of the other Spanish prisoners at Barbadoes, who were all under his immediate direc tion, that they acted the kind part of friends, instead of behaving like enemies, or even with indifference, in this feafon of calamity; and omitted no labor or service in their power, for the affiftance of the diftreffed inhabitants, and the prefervation of public order.

The islands of St. Lucie, Grenada and St. Vincent, were likewife laid nearly defolate. Moft of the fhips of war were driven out to fea from St. Lucie, in the beginning of the hurricane. The tranfports, victuallers, and traders, were difmafted, and generally driven on fhore. A prize of 18 guns was wrecked on the back

of

of the island, and all except 17 perifhed. The Andro- 1780. meda and Laurel of 28 guns each, were loft on the coaft of Martinico; none of the officers and but few of the crews were faved. The Deal Caftle of 24 guns fuffered the fame fate. The fquadron under admiral Rowley, which convoyed the Jamaica trade on its way to Europe, experienced no lefs calamity, and fuftained ftill greater lofs. The admiral returned to Jamaica with five fhips, moftly difmafted and all difabled. The Sterling Caftle of 64 guns, was totally loft on the coast of Hifpaniola, and only about 50 of the crew faved. The Thunderer, commodore Boyle Walfingham, was undoubtedly fwallowed up, no traces of her fate having yet come to light. The Phoenix of 44 guns, Sir Hyde Parker, was wrecked on the ifle of Cuba; but her officers and most of her crew were faved. The Barbadoes and Victor floops of war, with the Cameleon, Scarborough, and La Blanche frigates, became likewise, with a partial or total lofs of men and officers, victims to the rage of this merciless season. The French islands appear to have suffered even more than the British, Barbadoes only excepted. At Martinico the public. buildings and private houses of Fort Royal town, to the amount of more than fourteen hundred, were blown down, and an incredible number of perfons loft their lives. Every houfe in St. Pierre fhared the fame fate, and more than a thousand people perished. The numbers loft upon the island, including negroes, is computed at about 9000, and the damage at 700,000 louis d'ors. Sixty-two fail of tranfports from France, which arrived that morning at Martinice, with ftores and 2500 troops on board, were all driven out to fea, and several were

loft.

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1780. loft. The Experiment of 50 guns, and the Juno of 40, with fome other royal French frigates, were deftroyed; and 19 fail of loaded Dutch veffels were dashed to pieces on Grenada. The deftruction of people (whites and blacks) at St. Euftatia, was reputed to be between 4 and 5000. A number of houses were blown down and washed away with the inhabitants into the fea. The pecuniary lofs must be very great.

He

The humanity of the marquis de Bouille affords fome relief to thele fcenes of horror and devastation. fent 31 British failors (the remains that were faved of the crews of the Laurel and Andromeda) under a flag of truce to commodore Hotham at St. Lucie, accompanied with a declaration, that he could not confider in the light of enemies, men who had fo hardly escaped in a contention with the force of the elements; but that they having, in common with his own people, been partakers of the fame danger, were in like manner entitled to every comfort and relief that could be given, in a feafon of fuch univerfal calamity and distress. He only lamented, he said, that their number was fo fmall, and particularly that none of the officers were faved. oa. The new parliament met on the last of October. 31. The late speaker, Sir Fletcher Norton, having offended

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the miniftry, by exercifing too much of an independent fpirit, they determined upon choofing another perfon in his room. Mr. Dunning moved, that Sir Fletcher fhould be continued. The miniftry pretended, that an anxiety for his health was the real cause of moving that a different member might be chofen: but Sir Fletcher, after declaring that he came there with a full determination not to go again into the chair upon any account, informed

informed the house that the king's minifters had not 1780. held the smallest previous communication with him upon the fubject; that he had been in town three days, and had never been asked whether his health would enable him to continue in the chair, nor had he been applied to directly or indirectly, on the fubject of choofing a new speaker. He called upon the ministers to declare, why he was thus difgracefully difmiffed. After debates, lord George Germain's motion for the appointment of Mr. Cornwall was carried by a majority of 203 votes to 134, who fupported Mr. Dunning's motion.

I.

The king went the next day to the house of peers, Nov. and delivered his fpeech to the parliament. In it he took notice of the fignal fucceffes which had attended the progress of his arms in Georgia and Carolina. These he trusted would have important confequences in bringing the war to a happy conclufion. When the commons were debating upon the addrefs, Mr. Fox reprehended the ministers in the most pointed terms, for having dared to fend orders to officers in all the towns of the kingdom, as well in those where there had not been the smallest proneness to tumult, as in those where it had entirely fubfided and quiet was perfectly restored, giving them power to act at difcretion, without the authority of the civil magiftrate. Thefe orders, he declared, had not been recalled, till almost every election He likewise arraigned the minifters in terms of the utmost severity, for the infult which, he said, had been offered to the navy, and the prejudice done to that service, by the late appointment of Sir Hugh Pal- lifer to the government of Greenwich Hofpital. The

was over.

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